Challenge Energy Transition

*** Unfortunately, due to circumstances, this meeting will not take place. ***

How can we encourage residents to make their homes fully electric? As a student, do you want to think along with us about this issue? And would you like to collaborate with students from various fields of study? And maybe win a prize of € 100? Register now for this challenge!

(this text is also available in Dutch)

One of the most important issues of our time is the transition from fossil energy to renewable and sustainable energy. The goal is that all houses in the Netherlands will be free of gas by 2050. But how do we do that? How can we encourage home owners to make their homes free of natural gas? During this two-day challenge we challenge students to come up with refreshing ideas.

Challenges
In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to making homes more energy-efficient and natural-gas-free. Various residents are switching from gas to electricity by working with solar panels, heat pumps, and different kinds of insulation (facade, floor, roof).

The need to get started is also becoming increasingly important. After all, fossil resources, such as oil, natural gas and coal, are finite and will eventually run out. In addition, the extraction of these raw materials causes a lot of damage to nature and the environment. The average temperature of the earth is rising, sea levels are rising and extreme weather is becoming more common. By switching to sustainable (renewable) energy, CO2 emissions are limited and we can slow down climate change. However, in addition to these climate benefits, many energy-saving measures can also benefit the homeowner’s wallet by reducing energy costs.

However, all this does not mean that all individual homeowners will make their homes more sustainable in the short term. There are several reasons for this: homeowners do not know which measures are most effective for their home, they dread a renovation, or they cannot or do not want to spend money on energy-saving measures. The fact that people still have insufficient insight into the costs, returns and payback time of the measures also plays a role.

Despite the benefits of the energy transition, there is still plenty of ignorance, skepticism, cold feet and/or a wait-and-see attitude. The Municipality of Delft is therefore wondering how they can inform, encourage and enthuse homeowners – in neighborhoods where no collective solution is foreseen – to make their homes more sustainable and all electric.

The assignment for the challenge is: come up with a method, product, service or instrument to encourage homeowners to make their homes free of natural gas by means of an individual full electric solution.

Method
The Municipality of Delft cordially invites students to think along about this issue during a challenge. Students from various study programs can register. They will be divided into multidisciplinary teams to make a joint proposal.

The challenge is a two-day event. On Friday afternoon we start with an explanation of the assignment and an inspiring story about the usefulness and necessity of the energy transition. On Saturday, the teams can work on their designs.

A few weeks after the challenge, the teams are asked to give a presentation to a jury (and other interested parties) on a public event. Participating in the jury are: Stephan Brandligt (alderman of the Municipality of Delft), Yolande Kolstee (resident and chair of the Platform Energy Transition Delft) and Émile Chappin (Associate professor and
Co-director TPM Energy Transition Lab, TU Delft). The teams with the best idea – selected by the jury – will win a nice price. The winners will each receive a gift voucher of € 100 (second place € 50 per person and the third place € 25 per person).

Date and place
The challenge will take place on Friday afternoon, May 20, 2022 (3:00 PM – 8:00 PM) and on Saturday, May 21, 2022 (8:30 AM-9:00 PM) in Delft. On Thursday 9 June (2:00 PM – 3:00 PM) there will be a public meeting in which each group can present its idea to a jury and other interested parties. This public meeting takes place in the context of the lustrum activities of the TU Delft.

Why join?
Apart from the gift voucher, you will learn more about the various aspects of the energy transition, but also about behavioral change and communication. The challenge is supported by researchers and teachers who have extensive experience with these issues, such as Prof. Dr. Ir. Henk Visscher (Chair Housing Quality and Process Innovation and director Urban Energy Institute, TU Delft), Maurits van der Heijde (psychologist, environmentalist, teacher Inholland) and Aart van Zwienen (teacher building physics, De Haagse Hogeschool).

By participating, you also explore your own limits, because you come into contact with other professional disciplines and areas of knowledge. You not only broaden your knowledge, but also your network. You will also learn more about collaboration, project-based working and problem-solving. You gain experience in advising and presenting. And you will receive a certificate for participation, which you can put on your CV, so that you can distinguish yourself from the competition in the labor market.

Register
You register as an individual. Subsequently, multidisciplinary teams are created. In the team composition, the aim is to mix study programs and educational institutions as much as possible. The language of instruction is both Dutch and English. Depending on your stated preference, we will divide you into a Dutch-speaking, English-speaking or mixed group.

The condition for participation is that you are a student of a study program at TU Delft, The Hague University of Applied Sciences or Inholland University of Applied Sciences (with preferably one year of higher education).

Knowledge of, and passion for, sustainability is useful, but certainly not necessary. All students are welcome. After all, it is not so much about the technical side of the energy transition, but also about behavioral change, promotion, marketing and communication. In other words: input from all study programs is welcome. We are looking for innovative ideas and like to think out-of-the-box!

You can register by filling in the form below and then press the blue button ‘Verzenden’. After registration, a selection will be made based on sign up date, motivation, experience and education (we strive for a good mix). Be quick, because places are limited.

*** Unfortunately, due to circumstances, this meeting will not take place. ***

(this text is also available in Dutch)